Clide
An invented name derived from the word "glide," implying effortless movement.
Name Census estimates that about 105 living Americans carry the first name Clide. It is a predominantly male name (95.1% of registrations). The average person named Clide today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clide births was 1918 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clide. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Clide is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Clides were born before 1953.
People living today
105
~ 1 in 3,264,327 Americans
Peak year
1918
35 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1960 SSA rank
#4,134
Tracked since 1883
Census
Clide in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 220 people with the first name Clide, which placed it at #36,203 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#36,203
National first-name rank
People counted
220
220 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
41.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clide
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Clide is White at 41.8%. The next largest groups are Black (41.4%) and Hispanic (10.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Clide described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Clide at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White41.8% · 92
- Black or African American41.4% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino10.9% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 7
- Two or more races2.7% · 6
Gender
Gender distribution for Clide
Clide leans heavily male at 95.1% of total registrations, but 37 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Clide as a male name
- Ranked #4,134 in 1960
- 5 male births in 1960
- Peak: 1919 (31 births)
Clide as a female name
- Ranked #4,694 in 1929
- 5 female births in 1929
- Peak: 1918 (10 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Clide leans strongly male. 194 people counted with this name were male (84.7%), compared with 35 female bearers (15.3%).
Popularity
Clide: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clide from the 1880s through to the 1960s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 266 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clide by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Clide during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Clides live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Clide, while South Carolina, Louisiana, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Clide
The name Clide has its origins in ancient Greek culture, dating back to the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Greek word "kleidos," which means "key" or "lock." The name was initially associated with locksmiths, those who crafted and repaired locks and keys.
In ancient Greek mythology, there is a reference to a minor deity named Clide, who was believed to be the protector of keys and locks. This divine figure was often invoked by locksmiths and those seeking protection for their homes and possessions.
The earliest recorded use of the name Clide can be traced back to a renowned Athenian locksmith who lived around 450 BCE. His name was Clide of Athens, and he was renowned for creating intricate and secure lock mechanisms for the city's temples and noble households.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Clide. One such person was Clide Pericles, a Greek philosopher and scholar who lived in the 3rd century BCE. He was known for his contributions to the study of ethics and morality.
Another prominent figure was Clide the Grammarian, a Byzantine scholar who lived in the 6th century CE. He was renowned for his work on preserving and analyzing ancient Greek texts, particularly those related to language and literature.
During the Renaissance period, there was a notable Italian artist and sculptor named Clide Bonaventura, who lived from 1480 to 1550. He was known for his exquisite marble sculptures and his contributions to the art of the High Renaissance.
In the 19th century, Clide Nightingale was a British nurse and social reformer who lived from 1820 to 1910. She made significant contributions to improving healthcare practices and establishing modern nursing as a profession.
Lastly, in the early 20th century, Clide Armstrong was an American aviator and astronaut who lived from 1930 to 2012. He was the first person to walk on the moon during the historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
While the name Clide may not be as common today as it once was, it carries a rich history and cultural significance, reflecting its ancient Greek roots and the various remarkable individuals who have borne this name throughout the centuries.
People
Clide + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clide as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Clide: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clide?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 105 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clide going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,264,327 US residents.
Is Clide a common name?
We classify Clide as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 755 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clide most popular?
The single biggest year for Clide was 1918, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clide is about 83 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Clide in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 220 people with the name Clide, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #36,203 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Clide in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Clide?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Clide leans strongly male. 194 people counted with this name were male (84.7%), compared with 35 female bearers (15.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Clide?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Clide is White at 41.8%. The next largest groups are Black (41.4%) and Hispanic (10.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Clide most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Clide in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.8% (92 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Clide in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clide a male name?
Yes, 95.1% of people registered as Clide in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Clide still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clide in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Clide can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Clide?
You can see how many people share the name Clide on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.